Going Green in Cyberspace

Nowadays, the Internet has become one of our necessities. It does not only helps us with our everyday work or to entertain us with wide array of new learnings and social networking sites to connect with our friends, but it also trims down all the piles of papers that we might have. Here are some examples:

1. Your Mail – The clutter on your desk. Not too long ago, we used to run to our mailbox happily to check if there are letters and packages. Well now we get excited if we see someone sends us an email. Sending emails is better than sending snail mail packages because it has a quicker response time, no use of paper, and junk mails can be easily disposed.
There are actually 2 ways to trim down your snail mail clutter and keep it out of the landfill:

a. Bills. Are you one of the people who still receive their bills in the mail? Most people just open them up, check the amount, and then pay it online. So why not opt to receive bills directly on your email? This will lessen our paper usage and the space it takes up on our desk right after we open them. These days, most utility and credit card companies have an option for paperless billings. Every month, we will get an email reminder that your bill is due and a link where you can pay the bill. This way we could reduce our clutter and we do not fill up our landfills.

b. Online banking. Since we pay our bills online, why not also try and sign up for electronic statements. This way we don’t have to shred monthly statements and we can even have them saved on our hard drive, USB drive, or back them up for security reasons. Not only you can reduce the piles of paper but also keep away from the dangers of identity theft.

2. Your Pictures – The other clutter. These are the pictures that you have sorted, framed, put in albums, or sent out. But there is a new way to view, store, and share your pictures – investing on a digital camera. Digital pictures come out wonderful, clear, acceptable, even to the most diehard photographer.

Have you ever taken a picture with your film camera and didn’t really liked at all? Most people have taken at least a few pictures that didn’t come out right but we end up still paying for it when we have it developed. Unfortunately, you don’t have that option to select what you want to be printed out with film cameras unlike with digital cameras, you may be able to view beforehand and pick those pictures that you want.

Moreover, pictures can now be easily shared. Ever taken a group picture and everyone wants a copy? Now you can share pictures with just one click. You don’t have to re-print photos so everyone could get a copy. You can just email to them directly, or you can sign up for a free photo storing sites that allows you to send pictures through them. Some sites even offer you benefits to make books, cards, and gifts using your pictures. In this way, you could save money, paper, and other resources for photos that you did not want.

Since you are now using your computer more, here are some examples to keep it running efficiently:

1. Shut down your computer. Once you’re done working for the day, you should turn them off. This will save energy and wear and tear on your computer. It may damage the battery and reduce its life if it is left turned on the whole day. It may also overheat. If you have an automatic back-up, you may choose to configure the time of back-up for a time you want your computer to be on.

2. Invest in a laptop. Laptops draw less energy than desktops. They also don’t take up much space.

At present times, computers have helped us all do things more efficiently. From clearing out the clutters to handling our paperwork better, cyberspace has helped us a lot. If you use your computer wisely, you’ll save time, money, and eliminate on that pile of wasted resources you have on your desk right now.